'They've been great for us' - Referee Gough delivers support for FRC's new rules

LEADING GAA REFEREE David Gough has given strong support for the new rules that have revamped Gaelic football as the championship action continues, despite having previously criticised how the changes were introduced.

Gough had given his thoughts on the changes brought in by the FRC when speaking to RTÉ last November and again with Newstalk’s Off The Ball in January.

He said he was ‘horrified’ at the way the rules were written and described at the time as ‘astonishing’ the decision to bring in 49 rule changes.

But speaking yesterday as part of a panel discussion at the announcement of SuperValu’s five-year sponsorship extension of the All-Ireland senior football championship, Gough revealed his backing for the rules since they have been implemented.

Gough was in charge of last Saturday’s thrilling Ulster semi-final between Armagh and Tyrone, while he also last month refereed the Leinster quarter-final between Kildare and Westmeath.

“They’ve been great for us, once they bed in,” said the Meath official yesterday.

“I think the greatest one for us is one of the values that’s based in the GAA. Respect – and the respect that’s afforded to referees now on the pitch and from the sideline has increased greatly. I notice it not so much at inter-county level in that we have a great relationship (with the players) on the pitch and a good relationship with the management teams.

“But certainly for club referees around the country, they are telling us anecdotally that the enjoyment for them in refereeing and the respect that they’re getting has increased significantly.

“That there’s greater silence on the pitch and they’re allowed make their decisions, go through the thought processes and there just seems to be a happy atmosphere among the referee cohort at the moment in relation to the respect on the field.”

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